


Something Ever After

by dragyn42



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-07
Updated: 2008-04-09
Packaged: 2020-03-05 18:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18834577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragyn42/pseuds/dragyn42
Summary: Voldemort has finally been defeated. Ginny and Harry finally have a chance to be alone. Until Luna visits. (Flame On III prompt 4)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, here’s my Flame On entry. I had this all planned out before the challenge, but the prompt fit so wonderfully. My goal was to try and create a nargly story that fit into canon (before the family trees were released.) In fact, my post-epilogue epilogue was the first thing I wrote :) There are three parts to this story, all of them written in slightly different styles. This first jumps around a bit in time, hopefully pulling the reader into some of the confusion of activities that the characters go through when all they really want is time to deal. For those that read this over at SIYE, the ending has been expanded just a bit. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> (The SIYE, H/G only, one-shot version of this ended at the ‡ mark.)

For the first time in three weeks, Harry was able to fully and completely relax. In the hours and days that followed Voldemort’s defeat, he had been bombarded with requests for interviews from both the newspapers and the Ministry. He had attended funeral after funeral, each one leaving him ever more drained.

He had thought he was tired after the battle itself. He went back to Gryffindor Tower and collapsed in what should have been his bed. The previous ten months all caught up with him, and he slept well into the next day. No one had bothered him.

When he finally woke up sometime in the late afternoon, he saw some preserved sandwiches on the bedside table and realized they were probably left there by Kreacher. At that thought, memories of Dobby came rushing upon him and he started to cry. Thoughts of Remus and Tonks followed and the tears wouldn’t stop. Colin was dead, Fred was gone, and still all he could do was cry into his pillow.

Kreacher later told him that he had tried to get his master to stop. He patted and poked, called and yelled, but he couldn’t get Harry to respond. Ultimately, he went for help, and the next thing Harry remembered was an arm wrapping around his shoulders.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, Harry,” came the voice of one of his oldest and best friends. “It’s all over, now. You did it. Everything will be okay, now.”

“No it won’t,” he mumbled into the wet pillow, tears still falling unabashedly. “Remus and Tonks, Te... Teddy doesn’t have any parents... My fault... And Fred... the Weasleys will hate me.”

“Harry James Potter, that is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard from you. Remus and Tonks died doing what they knew was right, they did it for you; they did it for Teddy, the same as your parents.” Another choked sob came from the pillow and she continued, “And Fred went the same way. He did it to protect his family and his friends, and what’s more, he went with a joke on his lips. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and you darn well know it!”

Harry continued crying, seventeen years of loss at the hands of the now deceased dark lord Tom Riddle, grief that he had never before given the proper outlet to. Hermione realized this and went back to her gentle nurturing. This was something Harry needed, something he had never had the chance for, before.

“Come on, Harry. Sitting up here by yourself isn’t going to accomplish anything. The next few weeks will be difficult, sure, but over time, it’ll be better. You’ll see.”

“Time...” murmured Harry. “I have time.”

Hermione, quick as she usually was, couldn’t immediately discern what Harry meant. But, as he slowly stopped his tears, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and began to sit up, she realized. Harry had intended to die out there. In fact, while she didn’t know the whole story, she was pretty sure he had died out there. The surprise was that he came back. Now, for the first time since his fifth year, Harry Potter had the rest of his life to look forward to.

“The rest of your life, Harry. Is that going to be time enough for you?”

Harry laughed. It wasn’t the kind of laugh that he gave at a well told joke, it was more the type when the twins had accomplished a prank that cheered the entire school. It was a laugh that came from deep inside him, and it was possibly the first time she’d heard Harry laugh like that in more than a year. She was initially worried Harry might be losing it, but then she realized that he was just laughing. It was good and honest, just like him, and it warmed her heart to see him like that.

“Okay, Harry, go on and get cleaned up, we’ll have some sandwiches and then head on down to everyone else.”

The funerals had taken a lot out of him. He came home from each one emotionally drained. It was all he could do to hold himself together. With his entire life in front of him, it seemed that now his emotions no longer settled for letting themselves be bottled up.

Today was the Lupins’ funeral. He would remember that clearly each time he saw little Teddy in Andromeda’s arms. Even though Nymphadora would always be just ‘Tonks’ in his memories, Teddy was proof that at the end, she was Nymphadora Lupin. At least Moony had that happiness in his life at the end.

He talked at the funeral, doing his best to hold back the tears. He lamented in his eulogy how Remus had been his last link to his parents; no one seemed to think ill of that bit of selfishness. At the end, Andromeda approached him with Teddy. They discussed the past, and then they discussed the future. Andromeda wanted Harry to live his life and, since Teddy was her last link to her daughter, they decided that she would take care of him.

They argued a bit over expenses. Harry certainly had more money than he knew what to do with, but Andromeda insisted she was fine and wouldn’t hear of taking Harry’s money. When Harry finally pointed out that a good portion of his money was Sirius’, and hence would have been hers barring the estrangement from her family, she relented and agreed that Harry would be free to provide whatever he thought was necessary within reason. Harry was also welcome at her house anytime, no calling ahead necessary, to visit his godson. They both walked away feeling a bit lighter.

And through it all, by his side, was Ginny. They would come back to the Burrow from each funeral and separate from the others. Harry would let his walls tumble down and inevitably wound up crying all over her. She often cried herself, especially after Fred’s funeral, but she would resolutely hold Harry until he cried himself to sleep.

As long as she could remember since knowing him, Harry had been a pillar in her world. He always seemed so strong. When things went wrong, Harry would be there. No matter what people said of or to him, he never let it truly get to him. There were, of course, the occasional moments of angst, but if anyone deserved to feel a bit angsty, it was him, as far as she was concerned.

It hurt Ginny to see Harry this way, but she figured that as long as he had been strong, he deserved his time being weak. She would be strong for him for however long he needed. That was how they had ended up here, her sitting back against a tree at the edge of the yard, Harry lying down with his head in her lap, and her alternately massaging his temples and running her hands through his messy black hair.

She felt his head flinch under her hands and, when she looked down at him, she saw he was smiling. Thankful that it wasn’t another nightmare, she was pretty sure she knew what he was remembering. He always had the same smile when he dreamt of it, and he always told her about it when he woke up.

He was walking with Hermione down to the Great Hall. She spent the time trying to convince him that the Weasleys were not going to hate him, they didn’t blame him, and they weren’t going to ask him to go away and never return. It seemed no matter what she said, though, he wouldn’t believe her. As far as he was concerned, Fred’s death was his fault, as were all the others, and, more importantly, he had given Ginny every reason to hate him. First he left her for her own good, or so he told himself, then he refused to let her fight for the same reason.

No, Ginny would be in her rights to banish him from her life completely.

They reached the Great Hall and walked into the most emotionally charged atmosphere Harry had ever encountered. All over the hall, people were laughing and crying. They were congratulating each other on their survival and mourning those who didn’t survive. Up by the head table, Madam Pomfrey was working on those who were injured – not badly enough to require a trip to St. Mungo’s or a stay in the Hospital Wing, but the minor injuries that were left. All along the Ravenclaw table, there was food and juice spread out. It wasn’t a feast, but it allowed those who were hungry to have a bite to eat while dealing with the emotional turmoil of the previous days.

And at the far end of the Gryffindor table was a pack of red-heads, the people whom Harry was simultaneously scared and yet wanted most to see in the world. George was on one side of the table flanked by Ron and Percy, alternately laughing at jokes they were telling and memories they were sharing, and then sitting stoically, staring across the hall at nothing in particular as the realization that his brother was not coming back once again set in.

Across from them were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. They were hugging and talking, doing their best to come to grips with the situation. All of a sudden, Bill, who was next to Percy and across from Charlie, looked over and noticed them. He gave Harry a smile and a nod and looked back to Ginny. Ginny’s head, in turn, whipped around so quickly Harry was sure she would give herself whiplash.

In the blink of an eye, she was up and racing full tilt across the hall. Anyone in her way was shoved aside with abandon as the applause started. Her reckless action had brought notice to everyone that the Savior of the Wizarding World had entered the Great Hall. Ginny vaulted the Hufflepuff table and, upon reaching her target, jumped bodily at Harry, wrapping her slender arms and legs around his torso, and proceed to kiss him thoroughly.

The applause had grown to a roar, and now it was increased with cheers and calls. But Harry didn’t hear any of it. She didn’t hate him. She was here, she was safe, she was in his arms, and she was kissing him. The desperation he felt just a short time ago in the dormitory melted away, as did most other thoughts in his head. He pulled her closer – though it didn’t seem possible that could happen – never wanting to let her go, and returned her passionate kiss with every fiber of his being.

Eventually, Ginny reluctantly pulled her face away from Harry, and the sounds of the world rushed back in to meet him. He gently lowered her to the ground, keeping his hands on her hips and never breaking contact with her deep, brown eyes. He decided he could stare into them forever and be perfectly happy with his life. Meanwhile, Ginny was backing away, placing herself at arms length, meeting his stare. She opened herself to him, willing him to know everything she felt in a single look, which is when he noticed she was angry.

Too late was his understanding, and the next thing he knew, he was on his arse on the floor and his jaw was killing him. Ginny towered over him, much taller than her stature should have allowed, her hands balled into fists at her side. She glared down at him as he felt at his jaw and noticed that the hall was now deadly quiet.

“Harry Potter! You PRAT!” With that, she kicked him in the side of his leg and continued kicking him to emphasize her points as she went on, “You great... selfish... Don’t you ever... You... You PRAT! _NEVER leave me again!_ ”

Once her tirade ran out of steam, she fell onto her knees next to him. The lack of sound left in her wake brought new meaning to the phrase ‘the silence was deafening.’ She look at Harry, tears coming from her eyes, and crawled over to him. She pulled out her wand, causing him to flinch, but she held his head in place as she cast several minor healing charms over his face, starting with his jaw. She worked her way poking and prodding down his torso, stopping to cast more charms when he winced, until she had healed all the cuts and bruises on his legs. She then sat herself in his lap facing him, looked into his very confused green eyes, and was once again kissing him for all she was worth.

The cheering picking up once more, amidst some hysterical laughing. Once more, the duo lost track of their surroundings and Ginny pushed herself further into Harry, her personal savior, forcing him to fall backwards. As his arms were around her waist, his motions pulled her down on top of him, their kiss never faltering.

It was at that point that several pairs of arms levered them up and pried them apart. The hall, formerly filled with applause and cheering was now filled with even louder cheers, cat-calls and even some cries of “Let them be!” aimed at whoever was separating them.

“Okay, you two,” came the familiar tone of Ginny’s father. “This is not the time or the place.”

“As happy as I am for you, mate, I really don’t need to see this,” said Ron.

“So, close your eyes,” mumbled Ginny.

“But my eyes are closed,” mumbled a resting Harry.

“Go back to sleep, Harry,” instructed Ginny, still rubbing Harry’s head. “You need the rest.”

“I was dreaming about us, again.”

“I figured as much, love.”

“No more, right?”

“No more funerals, Harry. Lupin’s and Tonk’s was the was last.”

“Mmm,” was his indeterminate response as he reached back above his head and pulled her down for a kiss.

“So, is there anything else, Harry?”

“No, you know the rest. After I fixed my wand, I went to the tower to get some sleep. Then Hermione helped me over my little emotional breakdown,”

“Remind me to thank her,” interrupted Ginny.

“And then I came to find you,” Harry finished.

Every day since they were rejoined, they had taken time to tell each other their stories. “No more secrets,” they agreed. So, Harry told her everything from his sixth year, and then all that had happened to him, Hermione and Ron after the wedding. Harry explained to Ginny that Snape had been on their side all along, and he revealed how Snape had given him the final memories before he died.

“No more secrets,” he reminded her, but he didn’t expound any further. Ginny looked at him and understood, he wouldn’t tell her, it wasn’t his to tell. But if she asked...

Several days after that particular discussion, after Fred’s funeral, Ginny broke down and, in a moment of weakness, asked Harry about the memories. He told her.

“He was brave, that’s for certain. But, I don’t know, I can’t feel better about him. Everything he did to you at Hogwarts, Harry, it doesn’t seem enough to forgive him.”

“I thought the same thing, Gin. I don’t know, maybe one day...”

Ginny, in turn, told him all about school under the Carrows. The tortures of detention under the _Cruciatus_ , which were admittedly not as bad as they could have been. The Slytherin students were usually assigned the detentions as practice, and the rest of the students had quickly learned to act like it was worse under those who couldn’t perform the curse as well. The Carrows would assign the supposedly ‘better’ students again.

Harry shuddered anyway. ‘Not as bad’ meant nothing if it involved the _Cruciatus_. He meant to keep her safe, and instead she was tortured in the safest place he had ever known. He broke down, again, when she told him. She spent time reassuring him that she understood perfectly that knowing she was safe in turn kept him safe. She said that she would do it all again knowing that his not knowing allowed him to do his job and bring an end to Voldemort. She reminded him, once again, that she had her own vendetta to settle with Tom Riddle.

Ginny told him about the reformation of the DA under Neville and herself, and of their attempts at stealing the sword of Gryffindor from Headmaster Snape. She commented that in retrospect, many of Snape’s decisions involving detention in the Forbidden Forest and cleaning for Filch made more sense when understanding his allegiance.

Their discussions allowed them to come to peace with everything that had happened to themselves and to each other. The funerals, as physically and emotionally draining as they had been, had helped them come to peace with what had happened to their friends no longer with them. It was a peace that no one begrudged them.

On the night they first left Hogwarts, Harry was unable to sleep and made his way out of Ron’s room, which he was sharing for now, and down to Ginny’s. He knocked lightly and, upon receiving an answer, opened the door. He saw Ginny in her bed looking worriedly at him. Turning, he pleaded to Hermione with his eyes, and she responded by merely nodding, getting out of bed and leaving the room, disappearing up the stairs behind him.

Harry instantly fell into Ginny’s bed and clung to her, hugging her like his life depended on it. He didn’t know what to do with himself lately. He had never been an outwardly emotional person, preferring instead to shoulder his burdens himself. But recently, he couldn’t seem to stop the outpouring. He held up in front of everyone else, including Ron and, except for that one moment in the tower, Hermione, but around Ginny, it all just came out. And he always felt better, afterwards.

That was why he came here. His emotions were once more running unchecked in his head, and not only was Ginny the only person around whom he felt it safe to let them loose, she was the only place he felt he could let them loose. It was unfair to her, she had lost friends and family, too, and didn’t need his burdens as well, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

While he clung to her, tears once again starting down his face, she whispered in his ear. She told him it was okay to let himself go. She would be strong for him. She would always be there, she promised. And through all the comforting whispers, he could feel tears that were not his own running down his forehead. This caused him to grasp her even tighter.

And while they lay there, gathering whatever it was each needed from the other, Harry heard the door open. Ginny’s whispers never stopped, but he felt her head shift on his. There was gasp from behind him, very clearly Mrs. Weasley’s, but it was followed quickly by the sound of the door quietly closing. Eventually, they drifted to sleep.

After several nights of this, Harry no longer made any pretense of going to Ron’s room, and was surprised one evening to find that Mrs. Weasley had done the laundry and put his folded clothes in Ginny’s room. The nighttime crying grew less and less, though even after a couple weeks, there were nights it was worse than others, and they spent their time talking, whispering to each other, and sometimes even kissing to offer each other comfort.

Under the tree with Ginny, Harry could never remember feeling so at peace. It had been days since he broke down on Ginny’s shoulder. She had helped him back from the edge of his own emotions, and he knew, without a doubt, that he could not live the rest of his life without her. He had time now, and he would let his life run its course with her, but while nothing was certain, he knew the rest of his life would be spent with her. ‡

He was reflecting on all of this when the rustling of someone walking approached his ears. He didn’t open his eyes, his senses didn’t indicate anything was wrong, and Ginny would let him know who it was.

“Hey, Luna,” greeted Ginny.

“Hello,” came the breathy response.

“Hey there, Luna,” said Harry, still not having opened his eyes.

“Hi there, Harry,” she responded. “You look better.”

“Better?” he asked.

“Oh, yes, much better. The Dingtoed Teanings seemed to have been following you around at all the recent funerals. But it looks like you’ve gotten rid of them now and are doing better.”

“Oh, yes, then I’m definitely doing better.” It didn’t accomplish anything to argue with Luna. She meant well, and answering her intent just made things easier.

“I’m glad.”

“What about you, Luna?” asked Ginny. “How have you been doing?”

“Daddy is home again. He’s refurnishing the house now that it’s finished.”

Harry didn’t know what to say. Talking about her creatures was easier than real life. When Luna and her father were reunited after the battle, she hugged him for all she was worth. But when the story of his involvement became clear, no amount of Obliviation could ever erase the look of betrayal in her eyes from Harry’s memory.

Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were the ones betrayed, and Ginny because she rarely spent time away from Harry, spent hours talking to Luna about the situation. Luna understood that her father did it out of love for her, but she felt betrayed that he would betray her friends. Luna didn’t seem to mark a difference between the importance of herself and her few friends in her father’s eyes. It was finally Harry’s comment that love was that important, “After all, it was my love for all of you, especially Ginny, that allowed me to succeed,” that convinced Luna to attempt making amends with her father. Harry and Ginny knew, though, that Luna and her father spent a good amount of time arguing. Ginny was concerned because as long as she had known Luna, other than the occasional disagreement, her home life was quite tranquil.

Luna had often come over to the Burrow, even more so when her father was home not out hunting down some new story for the Quibbler, in the weeks since they had returned to Ottery St. Catchpole. She tried to spend time with Dean, they had grown much closer since their time together at the Shell Cottage, but Dean was spending a lot of time helping his family put their lives back together.

“How’s Dean?” asked Ginny.

“Oh, he’s doing well.”

“He’s doing well? That’s it?” asked Harry, his eyes still closed.

“Well, yes. His family is important to him, I can understand that. I don’t think we’ll be going out anymore.”

“Why not?” asked a shocked Ginny. She had been positive her friend and Dean Thomas were going to be a sure thing.

“It wasn’t working out. He was focused on his family and I wasn’t focused on him.”

“Not focused on him? Was the situation with your father really that distracting?”

“Oh, no, this had nothing to do with Father. I think the Wrackspurts got to me despite my prudence. I just couldn’t seem to focus on him, my mind went elsewhere.”

Afraid he was setting himself up for trouble, one never knew what would come out of Luna’s mouth in answer to a question, Harry couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Where did it go?”

“To you. I’m pretty sure I love you, you know. As more than friend.”

Harry’s eyes snapped open and focused upward. He saw Ginny staring towards Luna, her mouth agape. Ginny then looked down at Harry and their eyes met. After several uncomfortable moments, they both turned their gaze back to their friend.

“Luna, I...” Harry stumbled.

“Don’t worry, Harry. I would never do anything to hurt you and Ginny. You mean too much to me, and it’s obvious you belong together.”

“Luna?” started Ginny.

“I couldn’t get between you if I wanted, Ginny. But even if I could, I wouldn’t do that to you. I love you, too, you see.”

“You... you...” both Harry and Ginny stumbled. This was not the afternoon conversation they expected.

Luna plopped herself down on the ground right next to Harry’s outstretched knee facing the couple. “Although, maybe it would be fun to be between the two of you. So, how has your summer been?” Luna waited for an answer, but when one wasn’t forthcoming, she asked, “Ginny, is something wrong with your hair?”

“My... My hair?”

“Yes, its color seems to be contagious. Both you and Harry match it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of... Luna has been miserable, can Harry and Ginny help?

It had been three weeks since that day under the tree, and things were very slowly returning to normal.

“Hmmm?”

“I asked how you liked ‘normal,’ Harry. You’ve never really had it before, have you?”

“No, I guess not. Not until recently.” He was quiet for a moment and then continued, “Except sixth year.”

“Sixth year? Harry, that had to be one of your most abnormal school years, not counting last year.”

“There were several weeks, though. Several weeks that were everything I could want.”

“Sever... oh.”

Harry, lying on her lap, didn’t need to open his eyes to see her blush. He could hear it. “I never did thank you. Those weeks were probably the best in my life up to that point. And then, well...”

“Yeah, and then. Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll never have to thank me for loving you.”

They lay there in comfortable silence for a while longer. It had become a daily ritual. After lunch, the two of them would come out to ‘their’ tree and relax together. After a hex or two, Ron learned not to interfere, and after witnessing the events in Ginny’s room that one evening, Mrs. Weasley never even thought of stopping them. She was quite aware of what they needed, relying on a significant amount of support from her husband herself.

And, as was also a part of the ritual three or four days a week, footsteps approached them that didn’t belong to any Weasley. Harry and Ginny didn’t move, they didn’t say anything, they simply remained as they were. Eventually, the steps stopped next to them and there was the rustle of someone sitting down. The person was sitting close enough that both Harry and Ginny could feel the person’s body heat.

The three people sat in silence long enough for Harry to start drifting off to sleep. He was roused from the edge of slumber when Luna asked, “Is it the Buji Flies?”

“What?” asked Ginny.

“Buji Flies. Did they allow you to accept your brother Percival back so easily?”

Harry had gotten better at deciphering Luna the more she hung around them and quickly cottoned on. “It’s love, Luna. Plain and simple.”

“Oh. I was hoping I just needed some Buji Flies.”

Ginny began to understand. “Things can’t be that bad, can they?”

“Probably not. But no matter what he tries, I can’t trust him like I did before.”

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“He offered to take me on his next Snorkack hunt. We’ve been every summer since fifth year and, for the first time, I didn’t want to go. I thought maybe if I could just get some flies...”

Harry sat up and put his hand on Luna’s knee. “It doesn’t work that way. Love is strong, believe me, I know. It’s near indestructible, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged.”

“Percy hurt us all, Luna. He put himself before his family. He was willing to believe the worst about us all simply because believing it meant he was doing the right thing for himself. But through it all, no matter how much it hurt, he was still family.”

“That’s probably _why_ it hurt so much,” commented Harry. “ _Because_ he’s family. Growing up with the Dursley’s, I thought that’s how life was. It was miserable, but I wasn’t their son, their family. But then I came to the Wizarding world and learned about family. McGonagall told us that our houses would be our families, and she was right. Gryffindor house was my family. Hogwarts was my family.

“And then I was invited here to the Burrow and I saw how a real family lived. It was probably the best and worst thing ever for me. Because I had to go back to the Dursley’s and now I knew how families should be. They were my family, as much as I hate it, and it hurt. The summers between school were probably the worst times of my life, including my entire life before Hogwarts, because my family wouldn’t treat me like it, they wouldn’t love me, and I couldn’t be with the people who did.”

During his reminiscing, Luna had lost some of the dreamy look she perpetually wore. Now, Harry saw desperation. She was looking for an answer to her problems, a fix for her heart. This was at odds with the Luna that Harry knew. Luna had always been inflapable, with an answer for everything – as odd as the answer may have been. To see her like this hurt Harry; he didn’t like to see his friends in pain.

“You never told me that, Harry,” said Ginny. She didn’t sound hurt, merely surprised. It also wasn’t lost on her that he revealed it to Luna of all people. Even Ron and Hermione didn’t know much about Harry’s home life, at least not as much as she now was privie to.

“I don’t think I ever really put it together before now. I just knew I was miserable there and happy here.” He lay back looked up at Ginny and smiled, “Hogwarts and the Burrow. Even Grimmauld when we were all there. It seems I’ve always been happiest at the places you were.”

Now Ginny was surprised. Harry only ever showed minor physical affections – sitting close, hugging, holding hands, even a bit of snogging – around other people. But since she could remember, he had never been verbally affectionate around other people, not with her.

When she got over her momentary shock, she leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. Then she turned back towards Luna. “When Harry left me, it hurt. It hurt more than anything that happened to us at Hogwarts because I loved him. But we’ve talked. We know why we each did what we did and why we felt how did.”

“And you hit him,” observed Luna.

“Yes,” grinned Ginny. “There was that.” Her smile slowly slid away and she continued, “Luna, taking Percy back was easy because we loved him and he’s family. Weasleys never forget their families, even if they’re stupid enough to think they can sometimes. When it mattered, Percy stood up for all, fought along side us, grieved with us and when all was said and done, he apologized.”

“He tried. Your mother smothered him before the words got out of his mouth,” Harry remembered.

“Same thing. Anyway, your father did what he did because you’re his family. You’re all he has left. You’re upset because he betrayed Harry, Ron and Hermione, who are your friends, and you feel like he betrayed you.”

Luna’s eyes snapped to Ginny.

“Do you love your father, Luna?” she asked. At Luna’s nod, she asked, “Has he apologized?”

She nodded again and Harry said, “You need to forgive him, Luna. I know you’re upset, and you can hate what he did for the rest of your life. But he’s your father, and blaming him for loving you, for doing what he thought was best for you, is only making you miserable.”

“We don’t like it when you’re miserable, Luna,” said Ginny.

Luna kept staring at Ginny, and after several long moments, a tear leaked from her eye and ran down her cheek. I was followed by another one, and then another, and then her breath hitched. There was a high pitched whine, and the next thing Harry and Ginny knew, Luna had thrown herself across Harry and was crying quite loudly into Ginny’s chest. Ginny reached around and, with one arm, hugged Luna’s shoulders while stroking her hair with the other. Harry had to shift himself under Luna, moving his head to Ginny’s thigh so that his nose was not being crushed by Luna’s midsection. Once he was as comfortable as he could be in the situation, he reached around Luna where her body crossed his and held her close, feeling her shake as she continued to sob.

They laid in that awkward threesome for quite some as Luna’s wracking sobs slowed and eventually stopped, leaving sniffing in its wake. Soon after that, the sniffing subsided and her breathing evened out. Harry and Ginny each assumed Luna had cried herself to sleep when she suddenly gave one last loud sniff and crawled herself backwards off of Harry. She sat up and wiped her eyes, smiling at her two friends.

“I’m sorry.”

“Luna, there’s no need to be sorry. Ginny and I have each spent our time crying our losses and regrets these past weeks. It’s something we all need to do.” He looking upwards at Ginny and smiled at her, “I wouldn’t have known before it happened, but I do now.”

“If you need us, Luna, we’re here for you, no matter what,” said Ginny.

Luna nodded and smiled at Ginny. She gave one more sniff and as Harry looked, the dreamy appearance to her eyes reasserted itself. She gracefully stood up and said, “I need to go talk with my father.”

She was off without even a goodbye. That, in and of itself, was not extremely unusual for the blond haired girl, but the experience as a whole had been a bit unsettling for Harry and Ginny.

“She’s going to be alright, yeah?” ask Ginny.

“I think so,” replied Harry. “I hope so.”

“She’s been so... _down_ these past weeks. I really worry about her. I can’t remember her this upset since her mother died, and even then she wasn’t this bad.”

“It’s hard when your loved ones betray you. You know that better than most.”

“I know.” Ginny sighed. Her one arm wrapped over his shoulder and down his chest while her other hand stroked his hair just above his ear.

“You like stroking my hair,” stated Harry.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No. I just... It’s something I imagine my mother did. I don’t remember. It feels nice.”

“I’ll keep doing it forever, if you want.”

“Mmmm,” he murmured in response. “Sounds nice.”

The gentle comfort of her hands running through his hair lulled Harry into sleep. Slowly but surely, he was in the Great Hall at Hogwarts and Ginny was running towards him, knocking people out of her way. There was applause, he was pretty sure, but he really couldn’t hear any of it, focused as he was on Ginny. As she reached him, she jumped at him, wrapping him bodily into a hug, and then she announced, “Let’s take her out for drinks!”

“What? Who?”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t you realize you had drifted off. Go back to sleep, Harry.”

“No, it’s okay. What did you say?”

“We should take Luna out for drinks. There are a couple pubs in town, we can avoid any spectacles around wizards.”

“You want her to get drunk to make her feel better?”

“If it helps, sure. But I figure just some time out, having fun with friends, away from her father... We could all use the fun. I really think it’ll help.”

“Actually, it does sound nice. Don’t get me wrong, I love laying here with you everyday. I’d be happy to do it the rest of my life. But we haven’t done anything since the funerals.”

“Yeah. She’ll probably be back for dinner – something about a recurrent infestation of Landocks, I didn’t really follow.”

“She’s been eating here almost every night for three weeks now. I know your mum’s happy with people here and all, but is this a good thing?”

“I think there are two things going on, the first of course being her avoidance of her father. Hopefully that’ll lessen after today.”

“And the second,” asked Harry, afraid he already knew the answer.

“Remember our conversation? I think she wants to be around us, even if it’s only as friends.”

“What do you think about it?”

“About what?”

“We never really talked about it, Gin. We kind of let it go, knowing she’s our friend.” He took a breath and clarified his question, “What do you think about her loving us? ‘As more than friends?’”

Ginny sighed. She had been thinking about it a lot. “I don’t know. I mean, I know I love you. I love my family, I love my friends and Luna is a friend. But she’s always been a bit closer than a friend, you know? I don’t think I ever told you she was my first kiss.”

“She what?”

“It wasn’t a _real_ kiss. That was Neville, the night of the ball. He wasn’t the greatest of dancers, but we had a nice evening, and I let him kiss me goodnight. It wasn’t the spectacular kiss girls dream of, but it wasn’t horrible. It was two young kids sharing a kiss.”

“And Luna?”

“The year before we started at Hogwarts. Mr. Lovegood was working late at the office, so Luna came over here – she did that a lot. We were talking about school the next year, and boys and, well, you. She knew about my crush and we were talking about kissing. I might have mentioned that I didn’t want to disappoint you, so she said we should practice to make sure I got it right.”

“You...”

“Practiced with her, yes. Girls do that.” She was quiet for a while, obviously reminiscing about the ‘easier times.’ She and Harry had talked about them often – or rather, she talked about them and he listened. “I don’t know, Harry. I love her not quite like family, but more than a friend. I never really understood why my friends found it weird for girls to like being with girls – or guys with guys for that matter. Maybe I spent too much time around Luna. But I think, well... Michael didn’t work out, and neither did Dean. If you weren’t in the picture, I think I could see myself with her. Does that make me a freak?”

“No!” shouted Harry vehemently. Ginny flinched. “You are _never_ a freak.”

“Oh, I forg... I’m sorry, Harry. That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s the same thing, Ginny. They hated me because I was different. You’re afraid that liking Luna makes you different. You. Are. Not. A. Freak.”

“Thank you, Harry.” She leaned down and they engaged in some spirited upside-down snogging. When they finally broke, Ginny said, “But I have you, so it’s okay. What about you?”

“Pretty much the same, except for the whole Michael and Dean bit. She was always nice to me. She stood by me when few others would. She’s an outsider like me. I don’t know if I love her as more than a friend, but if you weren’t here, I could see giving it a try.”

There was no jealousy in the conversation. Harry and Ginny had learned early in the summer that their experiences, both shared and separate, had served to secure their relationship. They were unafraid that anything could drive them apart. The questions hadn’t been asked, and neither of them were ready for them yet, it was too soon after everything, but neither of them harbored any doubts that they would be spending the rest of their days together as a family. The revelations of the discussion caused them to lapse back into silence, lost in their thoughts, and it was some time later that they heard Mrs. Weasley calling them from the Burrow.

They walked in through the kitchen door and were unsurprised to see Luna helping to set the table. They went upstairs to wash up, and when they returned, all that was left to do was help their mother put the food on the table. Ron and Hermione were at her parents house that week – they had been trying to spend more time with them since Hermione felt guilty for her seven of schooling away from them. Charlie reluctantly had to return to the reserve in Romania two weeks prior, and Percy was helping out George at his shop – the Death Eaters had left a mess of the stock room and it was taking a while to sort out and clean some of the more illicit compounds. And so, the five people left sat down to a pleasant dinner.

Mr. Weasley talked about much of what was occurring at the Ministry. He would often make leading statements to get Harry to respond. It was a game they played. The Weasleys and the Minister were perfectly aware that Harry wanted nothing to do with the Ministry or its restructuring. He was still debating becoming an Auror, but that was a decision for another day – he was, for now, through with helping everyone except himself. While they respected that, Harry was not unaware that the Wizarding world was keen to have anything they could of Harry’s opinions. There were editorials galore in the Prophet demanding that Harry stand up and lead the rebuilding himself, but those who knew him wouldn’t make any demands on him.

And so, they played the game. If there was something they wanted an outsider’s view on, Mr. Weasley would come home with a story. Harry would discuss and offer, and Mr. Weasley would take that back to Kingsley at the Ministry. They wouldn’t ask Harry to help, they wouldn’t directly ask him for his opinion, and Harry was free to not say anything. The Wizarding world never knew exactly how much Harry Potter did help with the reconstruction, and he was fine with that.

They all conversed a bit more, about their days and what was going on elsewhere. It was a nice dinner, and when Mrs. Weasley was placing desert on the table, Harry decided to announce their plans, “Do you need us for anything tonight?”

“No, dears, not really,” Mrs. Weasley replied. “Do you have plans?”

“Well, actually, Ginny and I were talking of hitting up one of the pubs in town. You know, just to get out. We’ve cooped ourselves up here for a while.”

“That sounds like a lovely idea.”

Luna looked lost, but Ginny didn’t give her more than a moment before she said, “You’re coming with us, right, Luna?”

“I don’t--”

“Luna,” said Harry. “We’ve been hanging around here too much. We all need to get out and have some fun. Join us. Please?”

“Of course, Harry,” she said, her face lighting up in a smile.

When dinner was done and the table cleared, Harry, Ginny and Luna made their way out the front door to Mrs. Weasleys cry of, “Have a good time! And be careful!” and headed into town. Ottery St. Catchpole was not a very big town, but there were enough people that it was pleasantly crowded – not overly so – and the trio were able to fade into it.

Eventually they found a pub that seemed to be popular with kids their own age but, as with the town in general, was not packed. There was a gentle buzz of laughter and conversation, and the trio decided it was the perfect place to kick back and relax. Upon entering, the girls broke away to grab a table that had just opened up, and Harry went to the bar to start a tab and grab a muggle beer for himself and two mixed drinks for the girls that he knew Ginny liked.

Harry made his way back to the table just in time to see two guys walking away from the table sporting disappointed looks. Luna and Ginny were sitting across from each other talking and laughing, and they happily took their drinks off of Harry’s hands when he made to sit between them.

The girls regaled Harry with the meager attempts by the two guys to pick up the girls – ostensibly by ‘sharing’ the table since it was the only one open and they were alone – and they broke up into outright laughter when they got the part of telling the boys that they were both there with the same guy. Harry groaned at them and then smiled, taking a large pull from his beer.

Harry, Ginny and Luna throughly enjoyed the next few hours as they reminisced over their drinks. Ginny and Luna regaled Harry with stories of the two of them growing up. Ginny shared stories of what it was like growing up in her family and the pranks that they played on one another.

The more drinks they drank, the more embarrassing, not to mention stuttering and slurring, the stories became. Harry told of his dating disaster with Cho while Ginny described some of her more awkward moments with Michael and Dean. Harry experienced a brief moment of jealousy, but then he remembered what he and Ginny now had and suppressed it. Ginny, however, caught his expression and leaned over the table to kiss her boyfriend. With the amount of alcohol running through them, her quick, don’t-be-jealous kiss turned into an all out snog.

It was only when the cat calls and whistling started that they broke apart. Luna was smirking at them in a very un-Luna like way, and as the happy couple caught their breath, she said, “That looked like fun.”

“Oh, it really was,” smiled Ginny in return.

“Do you think I could, maybe, try?”

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and both shrugged their shoulders. Harry lifted one of his eyebrows and finally Ginny, her eyes slightly glazed, gave him a very tiny nod. At her nod, Luna audibly released her breath. Her friends both turned to look at her and, when Harry started to move in towards her, she jumped across the table planted one right on Ginny.

Ginny was shocked, as was Harry, but her surprise only lasted for a moment before she returned Luna’s kiss with enthusiasm. Some patrons of the pub had started to take notice. From over Harry’s shoulder he heard, “And they’re both here with you?”

Unable to tear his eyes away from his girlfriend, he replied without looking at the speaker, “Yeah.”

“Lucky you, mate,” followed by a slap on his shoulder.

Ginny was lost in her kiss with Luna, and when Luna pulled away, Ginny found herself whining in an almost pitiable way. Harry got a good look at his girlfriend and became even further aroused than he already was as he noticed her dark, glazed eyes and flushed, swollen lips. Even her breathing he found to be erotic. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to throw her on the ground and take her, spectators be damned, but his attention was ripped away when Luna grabbed his head, her hands on either side of his face – _When did she get there?_ shot through his head – and she pulled him into a kiss more intense than the one he observed with Ginny. He assumed it was more passionate, it certainly felt like it, but be was probably biased at that particular moment in time.

He was heedless of the passage in time, but was soon aware of a soft hand sliding down his face, slowly moving Luna’s hand out of the way. Whatever blood remained in his brain, which at the point was very little, rushed south to be replaced with alcohol as he realized the hand was Ginny’s. Her hand had finally cleared its tortuous journey down his face and rested on the side of his chest while her own face, and more importantly her lips, joined his and Luna’s. The world was spinning from lack of oxygen, lust fueled energy and copious amounts of drink.

In some unspoken signal, the three of them parted, all gasping for breath, and all with their same flushed look Harry noticed on Ginny before. There was a ‘tinking’ noise and when the were able to focus on their table, an act that seemed very difficult to each of them, they noticed three shots waiting.

“That was the most awe-inspiring thing I’ve seen, and I had to thank you. Considering where it looks like this is going, consider this one more for the road!” said one of the other bar patrons. None of the trio were able to focus enough to figure out who.

They each grabbed a shot, looked at each other, lust still running rampant through their eyes, and drank to each other to the cheers and applause of the pub.

“Our kisses seem to generate this reaction,” slurred Ginny, which both Luna and Harry found to be extremely funny. Leaning on each other, the inebriated trio made their way out of the bar and back to the Burrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snapshots in time... Here’s the last part as we follow Harry, Ginny, and Luna from their little barnight escapade to the epilogue. This was my favorite part to write :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I wrote the epilogue before the family trees came out, but once they did, I felt it necessary to include parts of them in this final chapter, as well as make a minor change to my epilogue. I hope it makes you all smile :)

When Harry awoke the next morning, the first thing he was aware of was the drum-set inside his head. He figured he wasn’t the only one when he heard Ginny moan beside him. Then he heard Luna groan from his other side and his eyes shot open as the previous night came back to him in a rush. Unfortunately, opening his eyes proved to be the wrong course of action, and he cried out in pain as the sunlight streaming in through Ginny’s bedroom window stabbed into his eyes with all the force of a _Cruciatus_ , squeezing his eyes back shut.

“Ow, don’t yell. My head hurts,” groaned Ginny.

“Unghh. Oooohhh,” agreed Luna.

“Luna?” asked Ginny.

“Hmm... ow,” responded Luna.

“Luna, why are you in my bed? What happened?”

“Was it closer than my bed?” came the mumbled reply.

By this point, Harry had managed to squint his eyes open, and the first thing he was able to make out was Ginny’s nightstand, on which were three extremely blurry phials of a purplish looking potion. It took several moments for the realization to penetrate his hangover addled mind, but once the implications set in, he groaned once more and said, “That can’t be good.”

“What?” asked Ginny, obviously refraining from speaking as much as possible.

“There are three phials on your nightstand. Do you know what potion is purple?”

“Oh, how nice,” mumbled Luna.

“Three?” asked Ginny.

“Three,” Harry confirmed.

“Never leaving,” decided Ginny.

The three of them did their best to fall back asleep, postponing the inevitable, but there was a tapping at the bedroom door. The fact that it was a tapping and not a knocking was lost on none of them.

“Go ‘way,” said Ginny as loud as she was willing.

“Okay, you three, you really need to get up. I don’t want you sleeping the day away,” came the calm, soothing voice of Molly Weasley through the door.

“Ungh,” was Ginny’s response.

“Come on now. That potion should help. It always worked for Bill and Charlie. I’ll have breakfast ready soon.”

When nothing else was forthcoming from the other side of the door, Harry painfully squinted back at the potions. He made to reach for one, but quickly discovered that Ginny was lying on his arm. He tried to shift, but found Luna on his other arm.

“Um, girls?”

“Hmmm?” came the response in stereo.

“Can’t move.”

“Oh.”

There was an odd shifting of pressure, and he realized that Ginny was moving and that his arm was asleep. There were some rustling noises, then the sound of glass bumping something, and then he heard Ginny swallow.

“Oh, wow. That’s better,” she said after a moment. “Open.”

Through his squinted, blurry vision, Harry made out Ginny’s face over his, and what looked like her hand and one of the phials. He opened his mouth and Ginny poured the potion in. Harry noticed that it was relatively flavourless, something that went against most of his previous potions experiences, and then he swallowed. Within a few seconds, the drums in his head faded away to nearly non-existent, and the sun lost all of its Unforgivable brightness, becoming once more simply the early morning sun.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Ungh. Loud.”

“Oh! Sorry, Luna,” said Ginny. Harry winced when Ginny bumped into his now tingling arm to reach over him and give Luna her potions. Moments later, Luna sighed. “Well, I guess now that we’re up, we should go down and face the music.”

“Oh, is there going to be music? I like the Nattering Nundus. They don’t get much airtime on the Wireless,” said Luna.

“It’s a phrase, Luna,” said a bewildered Harry.

“It means everyone is going to have something to say and we probably won’t like it, but we’ll have to listen to it,” clarified Ginny.

“Isn’t that odd. I’ve always liked music. Why would you call something you didn’t like the name of something you do like?”

* * *

The table was loaded down with food when the trio of friends made their way into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was at the sink scrubbing some pans. She turned when she heard them enter and smiled at them.

“Feeling better?” At their nods, she continued, “Good! Now eat your breakfast.”

Luna promptly sat at the table, though she seemed to be looking at the corner where two of the walls met the ceiling. She grabbed some eggs and bacon and started eating. Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were a little slower reacting. “Er, Mum?”

“Ginny, I won’t ask. I’ve given each of your brothers a pass the first time they did something alcohol induced, and I’m not going to treat you any differently. It was about time you all... ‘blew off some steam’ I think the phrase is?”

“But, the, um... the potions...” stuttered a confused Ginny.

“Well, when the three of you came home last night, you were loud enough to wake the whole house. Luckily, only your father and myself were here, but we couldn’t get the three of you up even the one flight of stairs. We were debating leaving you in the living room when Kreacher showed up.”

“Oh,” muttered Ginny, finally understanding.

Harry and Ginny both joined Luna in eating breakfast. They chatted a bit over their food, studiously avoiding any mention of the previous night’s activities. Mrs. Weasley cleared away their dishes as they finished eating and then disappeared elsewhere into the house. Harry was just getting ready to talk about what happened when Luna stood up.

“I need to go check in with Daddy. I didn’t tell him I wasn’t coming home last night. I don’t want him to think the Glulping Plimpies got to me.”

“Did you talk with him yesterday, Luna?” asked Ginny.

There was a moment as Luna’s eyes slowly refocused from somewhere over Ginny’s shoulder to meet her face, and then she said with complete earnestness, “Yes, we did. Thank you.”

Both Harry and Ginny smiled at her as she left. Once she was gone, though, their smiles slipped a little.

“About last...” started Harry at the same time that Ginny said, “I want...”

They tittered nervously when Ginny finally said, “Screw this,” and grabbed Harry behind the head, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.

When they parted, Harry stared Ginny in her eyes, noticing that they were darker than usual – which was normal after they shared an intimate kiss. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” asked Ginny.

“For last night. We shouldn’t have... _I_ shouldn’t ha--”

“Harry. We both did it, and it doesn’t matter.”

“It... what?”

“Like I said yesterday, I could see myself with her if you weren’t here. But you are and – I want you to know this absolutely, love – _nothing_ will come between you and I. I won’t allow it to happen again.” Harry loved the determined look on Ginny’s face. “No more secrets, Harry. We both knew about it, we were both there when it happened. You did nothing wrong.”

The smile reappeared on Harry’s face and he said, “I love you,” before grabbing her back into another kiss.

* * *

“I can’t believe this is going to be my last time here like this,” Harry was saying.

“But it was worth it, wasn’t it?” asked Ginny with her arm around his waist, snuggling into his arm around her shoulders. “I mean, for the first time ever, you had a normal school year, no deadly threats, no one trying to kill you. Wasn’t it fun?”

“It felt good, it really did. And Quidditch was... It was great to be back up there. I could do without having to take the NEWTs again, though.”

Harry, Ginny, Luna and Hermione were getting off the Hogwarts Express onto platform 9¾, laughing at Harry’s comment. They had no sooner put both feet onto the platform when they were engulfed, all of them as one, into a hug by Mrs. Weasley. As she released them, George and Ron took her place, hugging the girls and slapping Harry on the back. Ron also offered Hermione a kiss.

“Welcome back, we missed you all,” said Ron.

“We talked all the time, Ron! Not to mention you were _at_ Hogwarts two weeks ago for the NEWTs,” said Hermione.

“I know, but I missed you anyway,” he smiled at her. “And by the way, thank you. I don’t think I could have passed them without you, even if I had joined you for the rest of the year. But George really needed my help.”

“And how are you, George?” asked Luna.

George turned back from Hermione to look at Luna. It did not escape his notice that while Ginny was burrowed into Harry’s side – not all that surprising, really – Luna had her arm around Ginny’s waist and was leaning into her more closely than might normally be considered appropriate. He took a quick glance around and saw that his mother also had taken note of the trio, but that she was pointedly not paying it much attention. Hermione acted like nothing was going on, which told George that either she didn’t notice, or that their closeness had become commonplace.

“I’m doing better, really. Cleaning up the store, getting things back together, selling the things we created together,” his voice nearly imperceptibly hitched, “It’s what Fred would have wanted. It lets me feel like he’s still here, though I know he isn’t.”

“That’s good. The happy feelings will let the Nargles in and they’ll help keep the bad feelings away.”

George laughed. I was a laugh much different than the ones he gave before they left for school, and was much more like the ones he gave before, well, everything. “I think you’re right, Luna. I think you’re right. But even if they do, they better not expect any free products!”

Everyone laughed on their way off the platform and out of King’s Cross Station. They didn’t have to worry about their trunks, Harry had make arrangements with Kreacher to have them delivered. Mrs. Weasley grilled the recently graduated students about their last term at Hogwarts while George and Ron constantly interspersed stories from their store. They were extremely interested when the quartet’s stories involved students using WWW products.

They had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and everyone but George and Harry had already made their way through the Floo to the Burrow, except for Luna who had gone to her father’s house. Before Harry could through toss his Floo Powder, though, George caught his hand, “Wait a moment, Harry.”

Harry looked at George, noting the ‘protective brother’ on his face. He looked at the boy he had come to know well in confusion, “George?”

“You and Ginny are still...?”

“Of course. Why would you think otherwise?”

“I was just... I don’t... Harry, is there anything between you and Luna?” George finally got out.

“We’re really good friends. Maybe a bit closer since the summer. Why?”

“I don’t know, she just seemed a bit closer to you and Ginny on the platform. I... I don’t know. I just don’t want Ginny hurt again, I’m sorry.”

Harry nodded at George. “Neither do I. We’re fine, really,” he finished with a smile.

“Alright then.”

When they finally appeared in the living room at the Burrow, Ginny stepped forward to brush soot off of Harry, and then wrapped her arm around him to lead him up to her room. A quick glance showed that Mrs. Weasley was already in the kitchen and that Ron and Hermione were not in site – it wasn’t hard to figure out where they were for their first time together in two weeks.

As she lead her boyfriend up the stairs, George called from behind them, “Ginny, are you happy?”

She turned toward her brother, confusion evident on her face. But her smile spoke more than her simple answer to her brother: “Yes.”

* * *

Harry looked up from the sofa when he heard the front door close. Ron and Hermione were upstairs, as was Luna, and only one other person could enter Grimmauld place without an invitation. His face lit up into a smile when his fiancée entered the living room in her Quidditch robes, dripping mud.

“Hermione is going to throw a fit. You’re making more work for Kreacher with all that mud,” he said.

“She’ll deal with it. It’s not like they’re going to be here much longer anyway. I think they may have finally settled on a flat in London, near the Ministry.”

“Yeah,” breathed Harry. Ginny was now standing over him, so he grabbed her by her muddy robes and pulled her down on top of him.

“Everything is getting muddy,” she murmured into him.

“’Sokay, Kreacher complained that Hermione wasn’t letting him work enough.”

“Mmmm,” she vocalized before loosing herself in her intended. They spent quite a while on the sofa, enjoying each other and making a mess. Eventually, as they calmed down a bit, she said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I told you I was going to meet you for dinner. But practice ran late.”

“I figured. I was a bit late, myself. Robards wanted me to finish up some paperwork on a case from earlier this week. I ran into Luna on my way out of the Ministry. She was there looking for more information on Heliopaths. The Quibbler wants to know what happened to them when Fudge left,” he snickered. “We had a pleasant dinner.”

“Good,” she said. “I’m filthy. Let’s get upstairs.”

On their way to the master suite, they passed Luna coming out of the hallway bathroom. She looked at them and smiled.

“Thanks for taking care of him for me, Luna,” said Ginny.

Luna nodded at them before heading back to her room, but as she walked away, they were just able to make out the word, “Always.”

“Luna?” called Ginny to her friend’s retreating back. When she stopped mid-step, Ginny continued, “I owe you a pleasant dinner.”

Luna nodded, and Harry and Ginny looked at each other, coming to an agreement.

“Or,” said Harry, “we could have dessert now.”

Luna turned to face them, a brilliant smile on her face and she followed them into their bedroom.

* * *

“I do.”

“And do you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, take this man to be your husband, together in mind, body and soul, in this world and the next?”

“I do.”

“Then take your wands and cross them.”

The couple did as he asked, crossing their wands in the small space between them as they stood on the platform in front of their family and friends.

“Now repeat after me: May our love and magic bind us together.”

After they repeated the incantation, a bright light flared from their two wands, bathing them in warmth. When the light faded, those gathered could see a visible aura around the groom and bride.

“Please place your rings upon each other,” said the official.

Harry reached back without taking his eyes from the vision in front of him, and Ron placed a ring in his hand. Ginny was likewise receiving Harry’s band from Hermione. The couple each placed their bands on the other, and the aura that surrounded them faded, but just before it was gone, their rings flashed briefly with the same light.

“It is my great honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter. You may kiss the bride.”

And on the happiest day of their lives, Harry and Ginny Potter kissed each other in full view of their applauding and cheering guests. Time had lost all meaning to them until Ron delicately coughed. They slowly broke apart, smiling at each other, and kissed once more, less intensely, but no less full of love.

Ron hugged his best mate in congratulations, and then offered his sister a kiss on the cheek. Hermione squealed as she hugged Ginny, and then offered a hug to the man who had been her friend since her first year at Hogwarts. As Ron and Hermione backed off to allow the bride and groom to make their way to the reception tent, Luna jumped up from the first row where she was sitting with the Weasley family and ran to the newly married couple.

“Congratulations,” she said, before kissing Harry very much like he had just kissed his bride. It came as a shock to many people when he returned the kiss with equal fervor. “And you, too, Ginevra,” she said before offering Ginny the same kiss.

It wasn’t until they were settled at the head table in the reception tent with Ron, Hermione and Luna that Molly Weasley was able to approach her daughter and son-in-law, the rest of the Weasleys in tow. They each took their turns hugging, kissing and congratulating the couple.

Once it had all calmed down, Mrs. Weasley gave a pointed look towards Luna before asking, “I take it things are still going well for the three of you.”

“Yes, Mum,” replied both Harry and Ginny while Luna appeared to study the petals on the flowers that served as a table decoration.

“And have you worked things out?”

“Yeah, I think she finally believes it’s not a passing thing and we’re not going to toss her out because we’re married,” said Harry.

“I see. And is she going to...?”

“Probably,” answered Ginny. “We want her to, but we won’t force her into it. If we do, it’ll probably be small, at the Ministry.”

“I can’t say I understand, but you’re happy, yes?”

Ginny gave a big grin to George, who had been following the conversation closely and winked at her when their mother echoed his question from all that time ago. She smiled at her mother the same smile and said, “Yes.”

“We’re invited?” asked Bill.

“If we do this, of course.”

The family all smiled at them and offered once more their congratulations. The rest of the reception was wonderful, and Harry and Ginny were lost in the flurry of hugs, kisses, dancing, food, speeches, flowers and garters. They were both exhausted by the end, but there was one more thing they planned for the rest of the evening and they were looking forward to it.

The guests had all made their goodbyes and Harry and Ginny apparated back to their home on Grimmauld Place. They were making their way into the house, Harry carrying Ginny through the door Kreacher had opened, when they heard a _crack_ behind them. At the threshold to their room, Harry turned around to see Luna looking worriedly from them, back down the hall towards her old room.

“Luna, don’t be silly. Come on,” said Ginny.

Tears appeared in their friend’s eyes as she asked, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” said Harry and Ginny together.

* * *

“Come on Ginny, push!”

“I _AM_  pushing, damn you! This is all your fault, Harry Potter!”

“That’s not helping, Ginny,” said Luna from the corner where she held a sleeping James Potter. He had the uncanny ability to sleep through anything except the night.

“Shut-up you loony bint!” screamed Ginny as another contraction hit and she squeezed Harry’s hand for all she was worth.

“One more,” said the Healer. “You can do it, just one more. Come on, push!”

“I can’t,” cried Ginny.

“Can’t? Come on, love, push! You’re stronger than this! Once more, push!” encouraged Harry.

Ginny grunted loudly as she gave her final effort, and then it was over. There was a slapping noise, followed by crying.

“You have a healthy son,” said the Healer as he placed the infant in his mother’s arms. Luna stood up and approached. The family sat around Ginny, touching her and their son.

“Then we’re decided?” asked Luna.

“Yes,” said Ginny.

“Two of the bravest men lost in the war, the Headmasters of Hogwarts,” agreed Harry.

“Welcome to the family,” said Ginny, “Albus Severus.”

The door opened and a gaggle of red-heads crowded into the room. Ginny’s family, both immediate and extended, surrounded the bed and looked at the newest addition to their clan. There was awing and cooing from the females, and smiling and backslapping from the men.

Arthur looked at his son-in-law and asked, “You decided?” When Harry nodded, he said, “You made the right choice, son. He may not have been the best of people, but he should be remembered.”

“I know,” choked Harry.

“And what about you, Luna? Am I getting grandchildren from you, too?” asked a smiling Molly Weasley. She had long since grown accustomed to her daughter’s choices.

Luna looked at Ginny’s mother and her face paled. Tears filled her eyes, and she stuttered, “I... I... We...” before she all but shoved little James into his grandmother’s arms and ran out of the room in tears. Molly was shocked, as were the rest of the occupants in the room, and looked ready to cry, herself.

“Go, Harry,” said Ginny. “I’ll explain.”

Harry nodded and was out the door while Ginny looked first at her newest child, and then at the rest of her family. “We just found out today,” she started. “We’ve been trying, really we have. But nothing was working. The fact that we were here when my water broke was just lucky, because we were here for an appointment for Luna.

“They, the Healers, don’t really know what’s wrong, but they think it’s,” she paused for a second as she choked over her words. “We think it’s from the war. We don’t know exactly what happened in the Malfoy’s basement, and she doesn’t remember it all too clearly. But it’s possible that something... They might have... We don’t know if she can have children.”

“Oh!” gasped Mrs. Weasley, a sentiment echoed around the rest of the room. “I... we...”

“It’s okay, Mum, you didn’t know,” consoled Ginny, tears on her own cheeks. “Harry will calm her down.”

“It’s been a rough day for you, hasn’t it, Shortcake?” asked Bill.

She nodded emotionally at her brother. She looked at her newborn and hugged him closer. “But now we have another son, which is a happy note to end the day on.”

“Of course,” agreed Hermione from her husband’s side.

“Absolutely!” cried out George.

The conversation was a bit subdued at first, but soon it picked up and became a laughing, happy, Weasley good time. Eventually Harry came back into the room with Luna in tow, and she walked up to Molly and immediately apologized for her behavior.

“My dear, there’s nothing to apologize for. Things will work out for the best, you’ll see. And if it doesn’t happen, you will still always be a part of this family.”

Luna threw her arms around Mrs. Weasley and hugged her, and as she pulled away, she took James with her. “Thank you.”

* * *

Harry enjoyed his dinner while his wife munched on some strawberry tart. He raised his eyebrow at her, but she just stared back, a challenge in her eyes.

“Don’t get mad at me, Gin. You’re the one who complained you eat too many sweets when you’re pregnant.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shut-up and eat your dinner,” she replied to her grinning husband.

They heard the front door close and a ragged Luna came into the kitchen and plopped down at the table. She grabbed a fork and started eating food off of Harry’s plate.

“Luna, we can make a plate for you, you know,” commented Harry.

“Why?” she asked. “This one is already here.”

“Hard day at work?” asked Ginny.

“The Snorkack sighting ended up a hoax. We had apparated all over England before we figured it out, though.”

“I’m sorry, Luna dear,” said Ginny.

Luna smiled at Ginny. “It’s okay, we’ll just keep trying. Just be glad you’re pregnant.”

“Just be... what?” asked Ginny.

“The Lutoads,” was her response.

“Luna,” said Ginny, a warning in her voice.

Luna stared back and forth between a miffed Ginny and a confused Harry before she realized they didn’t know what Lutoads were. “Lutoads. They live in the stomachs of pregnant women and make them mean, especially about food. Otherwise I’d be eating your yummy looking tart instead of Harry’s dinner.”

Harry broke down laughing while Ginny just tilted forward, her forehead striking the table with a loud ‘ _thunk_.’ Once Harry had caught his breath, he noticed Luna had finished off the food on his plate, so he put his fork down.

“Luna,” he started, “Ginny and I have been talking.”

“Hmmm?” she asked.

“Well, as much as you try to hide it, we’ve heard you crying at night.”

Luna looked in panic at her lovers.

“Luna, we know my being pregnant again is upsetting you, at least a little.”

“I-”

“It’s okay, Luna. But we decided we have something for you,” said Harry

“Wh... what?”

“We may not be able to give you a child,” started Ginny.

“But we can give you _this_  child,” finished Harry.

“But the children are all of ours,” said Luna, the almost unheard of confusion in her voice.

“We want to name her for Harry’s mother, like we agreed,” explained Ginny.

“And for you,” said Harry. “Lily Luna.”

A smile lit up Luna’s face when she understood what they were offering, and they wrapped her in a hug as she began to cry.

* * *

_**The Epilogue after the Epilogue** _

_The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry’s hand was still raised in farewell._

“ _He’ll be all right,” murmured Ginny._

_As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead. It had not pained him for nineteen years._

“ _I know he will.”_

“Of course he will,” said the woman who had only then arrived. She was panting lightly, obviously having rushed to make it to the platform. “Drat! I missed them, didn’t I?”

Among the cries of “Auntie Luna!” and “Momma Luna!” Harry and Ginny turned to face their wife.

“I’m afraid so,” said Ginny. “But it’s okay, how is she doing?”

“She’s doing fine,” answered Harry, taking his youngest daughter from Luna’s arms and into his. “Aren’t you, my little Lysandra Guenevere?”

The tiny baby with raven black hair and protruding blue eyes grabbed her father’s finger and was attempting to pull it into her mouth, cooing all the while. Ron and Hermione stood next to their long time school friend and smiled at him playing with the newest addition to what he always wanted – a family.

“I’m happy for you, Luna, I really am,” said a smiling Hermione.

“Yeah, after everything, you deserve it,” agreed Ron.

“Thank you,” said Luna, watching her husband and placing a hand on her daughter’s stomach. She absently rested her other hand atop Lily’s head who had just stepped up next to her and was hugging her leg.

“So, who’s up for lunch?” announced Ron. The question wasn’t done leaving his mouth when Hugo’s hand shot up into the air. “That’s my boy!”

Everyone laughed and, together, the Weasley and Potter families left Platform 9¾. Harry smiled as he watched Ron and Hugo lead Hermione, Lily, and Rose through the wall. Ginny and Luna approached him from either side and guided him after his family and friends. All was well.


End file.
